Lone Tree woman saw a doctor after an odd symptom. The decision likely saved her life.

LONE TREE, Colo. — A Lone Tree woman said her decision to make a doctor’s appointment after some postmenopausal symptoms likely saved her life. Monica Moore said she didn’t think anything was seriously wrong but decided to get checked out last September after some unusual bleeding.

“My body first gave me a sign. Not everybody gets that privilege,” Moore said. “I took that and said ‘Hmm, something doesn’t seem quite right.

It might be nothing but let me just double check.’” Dr. Jeffrey James at HealthONE ultimately found a cancerous tumor in her uterus and scheduled surgery for the next day.

James said outcomes with endometrial cancer are typically good if patients get treatment quickly enough. “Making sure that you’re an advocate for yourself, and advocating to your primary care doc and OB-GYN, is extremely important, and her case is a great example of that,” James said. Unlike some other types of cancer, ovarian and endometrial cancer can be difficult to diagnose until symptoms appear, he said.

Moore said she hopes to persuade other women to pay close attention to their bodies and seek medical care if something seems wrong. “If you have something, acknowledge it,” she said. “Or at least talk to somebody who can help you navigate what it really is.

I think as women, as humans, we always want to be stronger than we are. And I think asking for help or consulting a resource, it takes humility. But they’re compassionate.

They’re there for you.�.